Nephilim

[jj_j]

Dark children conceived from the union of Fallen Angels and the Daughters of Men. According to lore, the angel Shemhazai led a group of his angels to earth to instruct mankind in the ways of piety and righteousness. After a time, the angels became prey to earthly desires and began to lust after the daughters of man, and thus they fell. They instructed their mortal mates in the arts of conjuration, summoning, necromancy and other magickal arts. The fruits of their union are the Nephilim: possessed of superhuman strength, cunning, and infinite capacity, and hunger for, sin. Venerated as heroes by some, vilified by most, the Nephilim eventually annihilated one another in a cataclysmic civil war instigated by the angel Gabriel as punishment for their transgressions. Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress.

Frankincense. No, fig. No, cypress. I can't decide which of these is foremost in the blend, which coincides with a description that includes "chaotic". There's a lot more fig in Nephilim than I expected, although it's highlighted by the opposing texture of the frankincense and a subtle herbal note that's a combination of hyssop and just a touch of rosemary.

Nephilim is nice. It's not stellar in the category of Kali, the Kindly Ones, and Aizen-Myoo, but it is good. I feel a little unkind for saying that, but considering the company it keeps, I think it's accurate. For now, I'm keeping this at an Imp, and will save my purchasing possibilities for some of the others that are higher on my must-have list.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Nephilim confused the living heck out of my nose. It’s dry almost to the point of being astringent, with a breath of chill, lingering somewhere between greenness and woodiness. There’s definitely something in it that makes my nose cold, the same way Pain did, but I can’t pin down any specific notes. At the second “first sniff” the fig is very apparent, and I’m not sure why I couldn’t pick it out before – I suspect my nose was overwhelmed.

 

Wearing: I still smell fig very strongly, brushed with dry lemon. Fig fig fig! Liking this much better on me than in my first first-sniff. It reminds me quite a bit of the flowiness of The Apothecary. After the first few minutes there’s something very dry and pungent under the fig… I suspect this is the frankincense asserting itself and reminding me that we don’t get along.

[Vaniclion]

LOVE! I'm just in a Fallen Angel do me do me type mood today between this and Azazel. Nephilim and Wilde were the two scents I was MOST interested in of the new ones, and bless Beth for both of them. Interesting in that they couldn't be more different.

 

The earthy sweetness of fig runs all through this, wet and dry. That is why I'm planning on this being my 'winter' scent. I think it'll go well in colder temperatures.

 

Wet, there's an almost candy sweetness to it which I attribute to the fig. Cypress, oakmoss and rosemary add a woody darkness which is also very nice.

 

The sweetness never leaves as it dries, but it does deepen.

 

I wore this when I went to get my hair done and all the ladies at the salon LOVED it, even the older ladies. They all stared blankly at me when I told them the name, but I enjoyed that.

[hadaverde]

I received a complimentary vial of Nephilim along with the last set of Imp's Ears I ordered, and I must admit I was expecting that I wouldn't like it before I ever opened the vial. For starters, I am a bit skeptical about any scent containing so many different components -- they tend to strike me as overly busy or just unpleasant, for the most part. A second strike against this scent, just from the description alone, was the fact that it contains patchouli, which I generally don't like.

 

In the vial: My immediate impression is that this scent is far too heavy. Surprisingly, I didn't find the patchouli note completely overwhelming, as I usually do with any scent containing patchouli, but it was still recognizable. I am also not the biggest fan of frankincense, so between that and the patchouli, I lost any interest in actually testing this one on my skin. This scent also strikes me as being very masculine, possibly simply due to how heavy it is.

 

On the skin: n/a

 

Final decision: Definitely not for me.

[TygherRayn]

In the bottle: Wierd. This smelled like cats to me when I first smelled it. It's a very powerful scent. It wants to make its presence known. The individual notes are kind of battling for attention in this one .. I think I smell the frankincese and patchouli most.. maybe some fig.

 

Wet: My skin draws the fig out from hiding, and it's just lovely. Spicy and hot .. like the magickal fires the Nephilim taught their mortal mates to conjure. This is carnal desire blended with mystical rites and power, and it's just heavenly, pun intended.

 

Wearing: This is almost a Christmasy scent, with the fig and the frankincese. I like that in this though. It almost smells minty now that it's settled down on my skin. Maybe that's more like a spiciness. It's a constantly changing scent .. hard to pin down. Definitely though a cold weather scent though.

[Nadirah]

I'd have to agree this reminds me of early winter with dried figs, franki and mint. I do like this one and I'm contemplating this one. I have a weakness for figgy, dark scents. Not only that but this has cardamom in it which I think has to be one of the most beautiful smelling herbs. I think this is just wonderful, a dark green scent, the staying power is Good.

 

I have to add that this is a 10 ml purchase for me. I ran out of my imp terribly fast and had to get more. Nephilm is unisex and very different. Its not too much fruit or too much spice, its perfect. A top ten scent for me. It took a little time to realize how much I love this but I know now!

Edited December 29, 2005 by Nadirah

[Astarte]

My first impression of this one is that it's dark, this imp also contains vetiver I dont know what it is about vetiver but it's too earthly for me. The mix creates a dark binding green aura which reminds me of a deserted scandinavian forest. Just dark undergrowth and white rock structures.

 

Too dark for me and that damn vetiver gets me every time.

:-//

[Lorencita]

I also thought I wouldnt like this one... I was wrong! This is a very interesting scent. It starts off VERY strong, almost too strong. I would say 15 mins to calm down, then it turns beautiful! I think its the fig that turns it candyish, which I love! I can only explain it to be "hippie candy". The patchuli and frank w/fig and some lemon rinds in there, very nice... sweet & sour scent! I will get a big one of this for sure!

[skg]

I ordered this solely on the tamarind note as I am a fiend for that stuff (not to mention that a tamarind soda brought me and my hubby together).

While it is a busy complex scent, it is by far one of my new all time favs.

There's "something about it that reminds me of something" kind of like the old import shops in San Francisco i used to shop at in the 80's.

Or maybe it's the Xmasy feel that TygherRayn identified?

This is one of those scents that when I wear it I will be surprised if no one notices or asks me about it.

I give it 4 D's...

Distinctive, Delightful, Decadent & Delicious!

[ebonykawai]

I absolutely LOVE this!!! It's almost nothing like it seems in the bottle, which at first sniff is SO STRONG. But I agree with the other reviewers, once on the skin, it calms down quickly and evolves into a gorgeous earthy fig and I swear, a bit of clove or something (the cardamom??). I don't know, but it's amazing. I've worn this nonstop for two days.

[twistygirl]

Beth never ceases to amaze me. In Nephilim, she's taken a few notes that generally don't work for me at ALL (fig and vetiver) and combined them with some notes that work well on me (frankincense and patchouli) along with a lot of notes that I haven't worn enough to determine how I get along with them, and the result is just gorgeous. It's sweet without being cloying. It's earthy without being dirty. It's woodsy without being too masculine. It doesn't seem to fit into any one scent category very easily. The fig is definitely the most prominent note from first application through dry-down, but this is a lush, ripe fig, not the fig that usually smells like moldy mushrooms on me. I find that, on my skin, the scent stays pretty true throughout all the stages of dry-down, and it stays fairly close to my skin, but has enough waft to propel it beyond my own nose. Finally, finally, something that I can wear when I wash with Figs and Leaves. I love this.

[roisnoir]

Despite the oakmoss (asthma in a bottle. Bah.), I completely adore this.

It's figgy and dark (I'm attributing that to the vetiver), dry and rich. It smells like a heavy wool sweater feels.

 

It smells wonderful on me, not too masculine, but I bet it would smell amazing on a man.

 

I feel like I should save this for deep, rainy days, but I won't - I don't know that I could buy a bottle (that whole keep breathing thing), but I will definately use up my imp.

[nevermore]

In the vial, this smells a lot like Vicks Vaporub. I didn’t even want to put it on my skin, it was so strong. Once it hits my skin though, it turns into fig and frankincense … and not much else. It smells not bad on me, though not exactly my style. I really did want to like this one, because I like everything in it, apart from the fig. But since the fig dominates, I probably won’t wear this enough to keep it around. I’ll swap this one.

[malanna]

The first few hours, I thought I was smelling Carnal. There was a bit of juiciness there, which I thought was blood orange. Then, the fig gets more dominent, but with something dark lurking in the background, the patchouli, I suppose. In my third hour, it's a little bit woodsy, which I attribute to the cypress and woodmoss. It has a sort of shaven, woodsman sort of thing going on.

[verdigris]

This is my absolute favorite scent so far. At first, I didn't think I would like it. In the bottle, it smells like menthol and pine-very cold and sharp. Upon application, that menthol scent predominates. Yes, it also made me think of Vicks Vapo-Rub-in fact, sniffing the bottle would probably help clear my sinuses if I had a cold. Astonishingly this oil changes on me and turns in to a citrusy, candy sweet concoction. I don't know what it is-a hint of citrus, the cardamom, and probably the tamarind. I don't get that sour green note that I generally associate with fig fragrances, just a lovely sweet sweet smell that I want to keep sniffing forever. I smell my own wrists quite frequently when I'm wearing this. In fact, when my 5 ml runs out, I will most definitely purchase a 10ml size.

[lixolux]

There's "something about it that reminds me of something" kind of like the old import shops in San Francisco i used to shop at in the 80's.

exactly! its like a melange of spices and sweets all mixed up, lead by their fearless leader, Fig! The metamorphisis of this while wearing this scent has been the most extreme (much like roadhouse) It was much more ethereal and sharp smelling in the vial (menthol?) and upon first application, but mellows out quickly into a lovely sweet fig import shop smell.

[grrrlennyl]

nephilim

 

at first: beth included this as an extra, and it's someting i probably wouldn't have chosen to buy it. it is incredibly complex. i can smell spices and herbs, and can pick out the black patchouli, too. it is a bit intense, though; kind of a burning scent.

on: biting and pungent. pine and...something. weird, in a not-so-good way.

1 hour later: ewww...i don't like this. i think i smell cedar os some other wood that turns to pickle on me.

2 hours later: this is just too overpowering for me.

5 hours later: it's a lot lighter, but still awful.

overall: this was just ridiculously bad on me. i'll be getting rid of my imp.

[SoapyRN]

Here goes, I had such high hopes for this one me.

 

In bottle: Total Vicks vaporub, but the BBW version, less medicinal, more herbal

On the skin, wet: That spicy scent of Dr. Pepper? Seriously. Still very herbal.

On the skin, dry: wet forest floor. After you have a handful of Mother Earth and you have crunched up the pine needles and flora laying about, this is what your hand would smell like. Lightens up after drying though.

 

To the swap pile.

[Tesseljoan]

This is a conflicted oil. On one hand I can smell the juicyness and voloptuous fig, and on the other hand the freshness, chilly air. I didn't expect this to blend at all, but it does in a way that's hard to describe. The green, notes are dark, and that's what makes it work. Not a daily thing for me, but interesting blend.

[Ishtar]

Sheesh. I love fig with a passion, but I don't seem to be able to find a BPAL fig blend that works well on me.

 

Nephilim was very medicinal in the vial and wet, making me fear that I would have to wash it off pretty quickly. It became significantly nicer once it started to dry, but then some piercing, animal notes came through. I could recognize the astringent smell of cypress on a rather hectic backdrop of dark herbal notes.

 

The drydown, however, was a nice sharp woody scent that I did enjoy, but that was not enough to compensate the chaotic wet stage. I swapped this one.

[Penance]

Got an imp of this from SoapyRN.

 

First sniff:

 

Fig and...cocoa? I don't know where in the hell that's coming from. There's also something that smells like crushed grape leaves (not sure what that is, either) and something very earthy which is probably the patchouli.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Dried figs and cocoa (what in the hell is that?!). There's also an undertone of crushed greens and earthiness. I was worried I wouldn't like this, but this is fantastic! I get the distinct impression of a trampled path in the forest, beautiful but ruined at the same time.

 

Dry down:

 

Nephilim dries down to a very light scent on me. It turns into very light dried figs and something vaguely sweet (maybe the tamarind?). This is beautiful in all its stages, although I wish it would stay stronger since I like a strong scent.

 

The bottom line:

 

I tried this on a whim and I'm thrilled with the result! This is really beautiful; it's fruity without being too fruity (a huge plus for me), it's earthy (I love earthy) and it's woodsy (I love woodsy, too) all at once. A definite winner.

[surf-tormented]

Holy fruit, Batman!

 

This is a strong one, both in the bottle and on the skin.

 

I couldn't at first figure out what I was smelling. It just smelled strong. It wasn't horrible, but at the same time, I knew it wasn't something I would want to wear that often. Which is strange because it was pleasant. Subconscious reaction, perhaps?

 

It lasts more than the usual oil on me.

 

It does have a rich, manly odor to it. Musky yet flowery fruity. I normally love these masculine type oils better than girly scents, but this one, this confusing one. This complex one. What does it mean?

 

Why is this one so hard to define? It is like an acquaintance you love talking to, but have no feelings about after they leave the party. But you loved the conversation. It was very smart, witty and bright. But yet, it is done. I am complete apathetic to this oil. Don't care if it says hi or not, don't care if I do, don't care if I don't. Weird, huh?

 

This is what Nephilim is to me. Make of it what you will.

 

I discovered from reading other posts here, that what I am smelling is most likely fig. So I have a aloof yet pleasant attachment to fig. I don't care if it comes or goes.

 

So I may trade this imp with someone who wants it. It is the first time I actually thought of doing this, but this imp won't get used much, I can tell.

 

Nyx

[sarahj]

Nephilim

 

this was a freebie included with my most recent order

 

in vial: spicy, incensy...I can really pick out the frankincense and the cardamom

 

wet: I smell sweet fig and can begin to detect a bit of green lavender in the background

 

dry: the perfect blend of spice, sweet, and incense. I'm really enjoying this. It lasts about 4 hours before fading and I am considering a big bottle. I haven't quite decided yet.

Edited November 16, 2004 by sarahj

[Murron]

First sniff: why do I smell lemon? At first I smell a spicy sort of lemon....

 

A few hours later: the lemony note starts to fade away and more floral notes starts to come forward.

 

Final verdict: unfortunately, this one has faded away . But I must say, it's a very confusing scent!!! Up into the swaptub, you little one!

[Nepthys]

Interesting scent. Wet the hyssop is very strong, and being that that's one of my favorite scents, I love it. But as it dries, the fig comes through and it turns into a sweet, sticky, herbal woodiness. I like this quite a bit, though I think my imp will be enough for me.